


Fireflies

by kazosa



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Cussing, F/M, Fluff, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2018-12-13 22:04:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11769306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kazosa/pseuds/kazosa
Summary: The reader and Daryl are friends but it took a while to get there. Living in the same house has brought them closer than either of them planned.





	1. Fireflies: the Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> The switch between fireflies and lightning bugs is to show the difference between where Daryl and the reader are from. In the north, they use fireflies, in the south it's lightning bugs.  
> Italics are Daryl's thoughts/narrative.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl and the Reader have a rough start. Will they tear each other apart or become friends?

Working hard was nothing new to you. Now that you were at the prison, you wanted to make it work. You wanted to be invaluable to them, to fit in, to have a family again, a place where you belonged. Being alone was the worst thing a person could be in the apocalypse and you were tired of being alone. Even when you were at Woodbury, you kept to yourself, stayed off the radar. With a person like the Governor running the place, you knew better than to draw negative attention, or any attention at all, to yourself.

The prison had a better feel to it, more community, less psychotic. Mostly, the people at the prison were welcoming, there was one that was less so, Daryl. You got nothing but the cold shoulder from him. That was fine with you, you didn’t care if he liked you, but he could, at least, say hello when you said hello.

He’d been gone a few days on a hunting trip with Rick when he came walking up to the food prep area with a deer carcass on his shoulders. He was covered in mud and blood and the sight of him was slightly alarming. Too late, you realized that he was going to drop the carcass near the prep area.

Unceremoniously, he shrugged the deer off his shoulders and it landed with a thud near the baskets of vegetables. He barely lost a step and kept on walking right past you, silent as usual. Carol didn’t even register what had happened.

“Hey!” you called after him but he kept walking.

You dashed after him to get his attention, sick of his bullshit.

“Hey!” you said again, catching him and grabbing his upper arm.

He turned out of your grasp.

“What?!” he was staring you down, pissed off about something.

You didn’t back down. You could be dead tomorrow and life was just too damned short to take shit from assholes like him.

“Are you hurt?!” you asked pointing at the mess down the front of his clothes.

“No, I ain’t hurt, this comes from real work,” he sneered.

It seemed like he was decent to everyone but you.

“Look pal, I work my fingers to the bone. Just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. I don’t know what you think I do, but I sure as hell don’t sit on my ass all day. Now get that carcass out of my prep area before you give us all food poisoning,” you barely held back from yelling at him.

“That’s food,” he pointed at the deer, “prep it.”

“Did you even field dress it? How long has it been dead? Is that blood from draining it? I could give a shit less if I have a bite of it, but these people need every scrap we can provide. Now I have to clean all of the vegetables to make sure no one gets sick. You,” you jabbed his bloody shoulder, “get that goddamned deer out of my prep area. Drain, skin, and clean the fucking thing and I’ll be happy to fix it up any way you want.”

Before he stalked back to the deer, you thought you heard him say “bossy bitch.”

Carol was watching her friend get his ass handed to him by the new girl. She only barely hid her amusement as he stalked back to the deer.

“She’s not wrong, you know,” Carol pointed out.

“Whose side are you on?” he grunted while picking up the deer again.

“The side that keeps us healthy and fed,” she said as he walked away.

“Thanks a lot,” he grumbled.

“That’s your side, too!” she called after him.

Rick had caught the tail-end of the argument and asked Carol, “What was that all about?”

“The new girl is finally tired of him being an ass,” she explained.

“Huh,” Rick mused. He watched as (Y|N) was cleaning up the tables. He had an idea, but he’d have to wait and see if it happened on its own.

* * *

THREE WEEKS LATER  
Things weren’t good between you and Daryl, but they weren’t worse either. He even said “hello” a few times. You knew he wasn’t a bad person, that was easy enough to see. For some reason, you brought out the worst in him.

You’d just finished cleaning up from dinner and made yourself a heaping plate of leftovers. They would go bad if they didn’t get eaten.

“(Y|N)?” Hershel asked.

You turned to see your mentor looking at you rather sheepishly.

“Oh god, what?” you answered.

“Daryl didn’t get any of this fine dinner you made tonight. Would you mind taking him some?”

“Hershel, that man hates me and I don’t know why. I don’t make much effort to chat him up.” It hurt your feelings that he was so cold to you and you hated that it bothered you.

“He doesn’t hate you, darlin. He just doesn’t know what to do with you. He’s been through a lot and pushes people away. Just don’t give up on him,” he handed you a bottle of water.

That was bullshit. Everyone you met since the world died had been through a lot, yourself included.

“Fine,” you relented, “where is he?”

A few minutes later, you were trudging through the field to the south west guard tower. The grass was growing like crazy already, thankfully there was a path that was well worn through the field. There was no sneaking up on that tower, there was nothing but open spaces on all sides of the remote tower.

Inside the building, you climbed the stairs and emerged in the lookout. The small space smelled of rotting wood, paper and vinyl that had cooked in the sun for far too long. Daryl and a couple other people were the only ones that took watch in that tower and cleanliness was not a priority.

You made a quick dash out onto the catwalk, “Jesus Christ, there’s a lot of spiders in there.” You couldn’t hold back the whole-body shudder that came over you.

Daryl was sitting on the catwalk; his legs dangling over the edge and was leaning over on the lowest rung of the guardrail. No matter what, Daryl always wore that leather vest with the angel wings on the back. He only half-turned his head to speak to you.

“How’d you live this long makin’ all that noise?”

“I wanted you to hear me, smartass. I didn’t want to get shot dodging all those spiders,” you told him.

You sat down near him with your legs crisscrossed. You put the plate down in the space between you and you noticed Daryl eyeing the over-full plate before he turned back to watch the fields. You nudged him with your hand. He gave you a scathing look in response.

“You don’t scare me with that hateful gaze,” _god he’s exhausting_. You indicated the plate between you, “It’s not all for me, Oscar.” You waited for him to take the water bottle you were holding out to him. You eventually had to put it down. “Look, man, I can eat this all myself, I’m hungry enough. It’s been a while since I felt like a fat pig, wouldn’t mind remembering what that feels like, but here I am willing to share with a guy that hates me.” You watched him for a few quiet moments.

“I’m not asking to be super best friends, Daryl, just basic courtesy, the stuff I see you do for, literally, everyone but me,” you waited for a reaction but got none. “I don’t know what I did to you, but I don’t think I deserve this level of shit from you. Share with me or not, I don’t care. Take the last of your deer meat. You need it more than me.”

The silence that followed wasn’t awkward for you. You were happy to look at the grounds from that vantage point. If you could put aside the fact that the world died, it was quite peaceful and the view was spectacular. The grounds gently rolled outside of the prison yard and there were trees everywhere. The sun would start to set soon and the clouds looked promising for a spectacular sunset.

Daryl had been hungrier than he’d let on and ate most of what was on the plate. You’d brought along a large can of pineapple chunks and were quite pleased to be eating them, especially since they hadn’t gone bad. You ate as you waited for the sun to do its light show and looked up at the clouds to see if you could spot any hidden pictures.

“Sea turtle,” you’d randomly spotted the familiar shape.

You’d caught Daryl off guard, “What?”

“That cloud,” you closed an eye and pointed, “right there, looks just like a sea turtle.”

He craned his neck around to look.

“It does look like a turtle,” he admitted.

“Yeah, but it’s a _sea_ turtle,” you clarified. He gave you a look that said “so?” “Dude, they live their whole lives in the water. The females only go on land to lay their eggs. The only thing they have to worry about are natural predators, not dead things trying to eat them……plus, they look cool.”

“Ever see one before?” he asked.

“Only in a zoo,” you answered.

He made a scoffing sound and went back to watching the fields. Daryl was being almost pleasant. _What a nice change_ , you thought. When you were both done eating, the sun was starting to set. The yellows and oranges faded to pinks and reds and that was when you saw them, letting out a little gasp.

“Daryl,” you whispered and touched his arm. He grabbed for the rifle next to him. “No, you assured him, “it’s okay.” You were still whispering, not taking any chances of disrupting them. Seeing them told you what time of year it was and that your birthday was coming soon. “Look…fireflies.”


	2. Fireflies: the House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl and the reader are paired off by Rick and look at their new house together.

You were playing with Judith in one of the upstairs bedrooms when Rick came looking for you. He looked so odd to you without a beard, you’d never seen him without one. He was dressed in the constable clothing he’d gotten from Deanna.

“There you are,” he said, “been lookin’ for ya.”

He came in and sat down on the floor by you and Judith.

“Just been up here with Judith wearing her out before her naptime,” you told him. It had been a long time since you’d played with a baby, not since… “The uniform suits you, looks nice.”

“Oh… thanks, not sure how good it fits,” he hoped you caught his meaning. Nervously, he ran his hand through his hair, “How are you getting along with Daryl these days?”

You did not like where this was going at all. People had been moving out of the house for the last week, going into other houses in Alexandria. The only people left were Rick’s family, Michonne, you and Daryl.

“Well… alright, I suppose,” even after all they’d been through, Daryl still avoided you and only spoke when it was only you and him and even then, you felt it was grudgingly on his part. “Well enough to bicker when he actually speaks. Why?” you gave him side-eye.

“I was thinking you and him should take the house across the street,” he said cautiously.

“What the hell, Rick? The guy barely says anything to me. How the hell am I supposed to live with a mute?” you were incredulous.

Rick clapped you on the shoulder, “He ain’t that bad, (Y|N). You know him better than you think. Just give him a chance. ‘Sides, he’ll probably sleep on the porch, anyway.”

“Is that humor? Are you trying to be funny?” you were not amused.

Rick was laughing at your distress. “It’ll be fine, you’ll see. I’ve gotta meet Michonne at Deanna’s.” He chuckled and kissed Judith bye before walking out of the room, leaving you to stare after him. You looked at Judith lying on the floor. The adorable baby was playing with cups, chewing on one and banging the other on the one in her mouth.

“Did you know about this?” you asked her.

She giggled and banged the cups in response.

“Oh! You think it’s funny, too?!” you tickled her sides. “All you Grimes’ think you’re so funny!” You made the sweet girl squeal from your tickles. “Hmm… wonder what ol’ Oscar has to say about this?”

* * *

You sat on the front porch, looking at the house across the street. It looked nice. You hadn’t been in it at all, but if it was like the other houses in Alexandria, it would be the nicest house you’d ever lived in. You’d never been especially wealthy, preferring to live simply. Judith hadn’t been asleep long when Daryl and Carl came walking up. Daryl said something to Carl and Carl nodded. He came bounding up the steps to the porch.

“I can watch Judith now,” Carl offered, “if you want.”

Daryl was moving more slowly, his one hand pulling on his ring finger as he approached the stairs. It was something he did when he was unsure of himself.

You nodded, but were staring at Daryl, “Thanks, Carl.”

Carl ducked inside, leaving you and Daryl alone. He stood near the edge of the steps, leaning on the support beam. Daryl couldn’t look directly at you.

“You okay with this?” you asked him.

He stood there, silent, finally looking down at his hands a moment, then back up to you. He nodded shyly.

“Yeah,” his voice came out as a whisper.

“Well,” you slapped the arms of the chair with your hands and stood up, “let’s go see our Home Sweet Home, shall we?”

You put your hands on his shoulders and ran them down his arms letting your left drop off and your right hand took his left elbow. You tucked your arm into his.

“Walk me over, handsome,” you said. You knew it made him uncomfortable when you teased or flirted with him and that only spurred you on more, it was your twisted pleasure. You knew not to go too far, though, and despite his aloof nature, you rather liked him. Sometimes, when it was just you and him and you both relaxed, he was almost chatty. “This’ll be good,” you were telling yourself more than him. “We already bicker like an old married couple.”

“Do not,” he said.

“See? Perfect example,” you chuckled.

“Only when you nag,” he grumbled taking you up the walk to your new house.

“I dare you to carry me over the threshold,” you couldn’t stop teasing him, it helped calm your nerves at least. Daryl had made you nervous and turning the nerves into banter was one of the ways you dealt with it. Flirting was fun because he turned a cute pink color and he never flirted back, which told you he wasn’t interested or didn’t know what to say.

Up on the porch, you were impressed. “Boy, these folks sure know how to do a porch,” you observed. There was a porch swing at one end and the other side had two chairs and a table and there was still plenty of room.

“I like it already,” you said still looking around. The space near the house and swing had a small storage bin, too.

_Daryl watched as she sat on the porch swing then moved to try the chairs. She looked really happy to be there and they hadn’t even gone inside yet. He’d seen her with other people, she was always nice to them, it was almost disgusting. It seemed like she knew how to flatter everyone, so whenever she said he was handsome, he just ignored it._

_Finally, she came over to him and grabbed his arm in a surprisingly strong grip. She was practically vibrating with excitement. He’d worried she’d tell Rick to pound sand when Rick told her about his plan. He’d liked her a lot, more than he’d ever admit to anyone. She was new, untrusted and people left or died all the time. He hadn’t wanted to like her, and after being with them for almost a year, she’d proven many times that she was tough, strong, and loyal. Whether she knew it or not, he liked that she was always trying to take care of him, even when he didn’t deserve it._

_The knob on the door turned and he pushed it open. She only loosened her grip on his arm to grab his hand and pull him inside with her. He couldn’t stop the tiny smile from forming on his face._

When Daryl opened the door, you were stunned. You hadn’t known what to expect and everything you saw blew it all out of the water. Never in your life did you think you would live in a house like that nor with a man like Daryl Dixon.

When you first met him, he was rude, obnoxious, and constantly trying to make you angry. Then you got the cold shoulder from him with a little bit of the grouchy Oscar sprinkled in. You knew he had a hard time accepting that anyone cared about him, though you liked to think you were wearing him down with your obvious charm.

All of the furniture was covered with sheets and it was hot as hell inside. You and Daryl began by opening windows and letting the light in. The light shone into a living room that had a dining room attached at the far end of the space. The dining room connected to the kitchen on the opposite side. When you looked to the right from the entrance, there was a room that looked like a study. As you and Daryl went through the house, you found a main bathroom, a laundry/mudroom and access to the garage. On the other side of the house, off the living room/dining area, there was a hall that led to the three bedrooms and an extra bathroom.

Upon inspection of all the bedrooms, Daryl decided you needed to take the master bedroom because it had a bathroom and that way you didn’t have to share one with him. You looked at him a little funny, but you weren’t upset with him, it was the best room and it had a ton of space. Daryl decided to take the one that was directly across the hall from you. You knew better than to think he’d actually sleep in there. He was never really comfortable inside. Even at the prison, he didn’t like being stuck inside.

“Are you actually gonna use this room?” you both were standing inside his room looking around.

Daryl just shrugged. He hadn’t said more than two words at a time since you got in the house.

“I won’t be a Suzie-Homemaker, but I can tell you right now, no cleaning animals inside the house and if you track mud in, clean it up. There’s a room for that,” you warned him.

“You gonna nag me constantly?” he asked.

You were fighting a smile, “No more than usual.”

* * *

Daryl let you lead the way out of your house and back across the street to get your meager belongings. Rick and Michonne were back from Deanna’s house and were in the living room chatting when you walked in with Daryl.

“Hey! How was it, did you like it?” Michonne perked up. “Think you two can keep from killing each other?”

You chuckled, “Yeah, I think we’ll be okay.”

Daryl was already gathering his things. You weren’t sure if he was embarrassed that you and Michonne were talking about you and him moving in together or if he just wanted to get out of there. It was probably a little of both. He heaved his pack onto his shoulder, grabbed his bow and stood by the door.

“You comin’?” he asked.

You threw a glance at him then back to Michonne. Was he really acting like he had some sort of hold over you?

“I’ll be over in a little bit. It was hot in there, it can air out a bit before I start cleaning everything, if that’s okay with you, Oscar?” you asked sweetly.

Daryl muttered something under his breath as he opened the door and slammed it behind him.

“Well, I’m sure this will be super fun,” you mused.

Michonne had a sympathetic look on her face. “If he gets to be too much for you, just come over here for a break.”

Rick piped up, “If he doesn’t come over here first.”

“Hey!” Michonne threw a pillow at him.

“I’m delightful, he just doesn’t see it yet,” you said as you gathered your belongings and stuffed them into your pack. You really didn’t have much left since being on the road from the prison. It had been a rough time and things had gotten lost, used up and left behind.

“Of course, you are,” Michonne said sincerely. “I’m sure you’ll get used to each other.” She’d gotten up from the couch to send you off.

* * *

Michonne watched as (Y|N) crossed the street and dashed up the stairs and open the door, she could have sworn she heard (Y|N) call out, “HONEY! I’m home!!” before closing the door. Michonne smirked as she closed the door to her own home. Her own home… now that was something, too.

“You think it’s a good idea to put those two together?” she asked Rick as she sat down on the couch again.

He thought on it a moment before he spoke. It had been something he’d been hoping would happen on its own since the prison. Things had progressed a little and he’d caught glimmers of what could be for his best friend and (Y|N), but it was like they were dead set on avoiding each other.

“Well, she’ll be a good influence on him. Even when things were the worst, she was always looking after people. She gets him to do stuff I thought he never would, and he’ll… well, I don’t really know what he can do for her. I know she went through her own stuff before coming to us. She’s never said a word about who she was before this all happened. Maybe that’s how he can help and they can each get over their demons.”


	3. Vick's VapoRub

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader is woken in the night by a terrible sound and has to take care of it on her own

You woke in the middle of the night, your heart racing. That sound… you grabbed your gun and flashlight off the nightstand and started hunting for the source of the sound. You could still hear it over the pounding of your heart as you cleared the house in record time. In the month that you and Daryl had lived in the house, he hadn’t slept inside once, preferring to sleep on the porch instead. It was a little odd, but you understood Daryl’s need to be out there and you’d been okay with it until that night. The only thing left to check was Daryl’s porch.

“God, please… not him…” you thought to yourself as you opened the door, scanning the porch.

Your flashlight quickly covered the porch and finally landed on Daryl. An ungodly sound was coming from him. He was turned away from you, lying on his side. You slowly crept up on him, but out of reach.

“Daryl?” you said cautiously, kicking his boot.

He turned over while sitting up. He held up his hand to block the light from your flashlight.

“Get that light outta my face,” he sounded like hell.

His voice was even more gravelly, it didn’t even sound like him. You noticed his shirt was drenched in sweat despite the cool of the night.

“Jesus,” you flicked the light off and put your gun and flashlight inside on the table just inside the door. “C’mon, you need to be inside,” you hooked your arm under his to help him up and didn’t fail to notice the fever wracking his body.

Your bathroom was the only one that had an adequate shower to accommodate Daryl’s large frame. With his arm around your shoulders and yours around his waist, you walked him into your bathroom and sat him down on the ledge of the spa shower so you could get the water running.

“Why do you always have to be a damned hero? Can’t you just suck it up one time and ask for help? How long have you been feeling like this?” you were scolding a sick man, but the dummy deserved it.

Another coughing fit came over him and he was coughing so hard you grabbed the trash can just in case.

“Few days,” he managed to breathe out.

You hadn’t seen him in at least a day. He probably knew you’d fuss over him, and he was right.

“I’m so sick of people not telling me when they’re not well. I’m like the best at taking care of people. They really just need to let me do this for them. I’m the best taker-care-er ever, goddamnit,” you weren’t really saying it to Daryl, it was more for yourself as you were getting things ready, but he heard you anyway.

“I didn’t want you to worry,” he said, fighting to sit up straight.

You knelt at his feet to unlace and take off his boots and socks. His normally tan skin seemed very pale, his eyes had unusually dark rings around them and a sheen of sweat covered his skin. You were a little worried. You’d never seen Daryl sick before and after the flu that had ravaged the prison, your worry level was fully pegged at 10.

You reached for the buttons on his shirt next. Somehow, he mustered enough strength to swat away your hands.

“Don’t,” he said.

“Now is not the time for modesty, Daryl. We need to get your temperature down,” you tried to reason with him, you were not going to lose him to a stupid fever. “That means you strip out of the dirty, sweat-soaked clothes you’re wearing and let this shower do its thing.”

Even as sick as he was, he was being stubborn. Resisting the urge to just turn the shower heads on him, you tried for the buttons again. He took as deep a breath as he could and glared at you.

“Then do it your damn self!” you threw your hands up in the air. “Just strip and get in, I promise I won’t look!”

You went to the cupboard and looked for the bottle of soap you’d seen in there when you first moved in. Whomever lived there before either had a baby or liked the smell of the baby wash. After moving around some of the other bottles in there, you pulled out the green bottle of baby wash that had menthol in it. Daryl was working slowly, but he was getting the buttons undone. The water was finally starting to get hot and you squeezed a little of the soap out into a wash cloth. Soon, the smell of menthol filled your bathroom.

“I’m gonna go see if we have any honey,” you told him. “Try not to crack that thick skull.”

* * *

_He hated her fussing over him, and that was why he didn’t tell her. She already did so much for everyone. She worked hard and didn’t need to be taking care of him, too. The only thing she needed from him was to be healthy and he couldn’t even do that much for her. He let her take his boots and socks off, but only because if he did it himself, he thought he might pass out from leaning over so far. Letting her take off his shirt? That couldn’t happen, it was too much. The thoughts that flashed into his head were very inappropriate and he blamed his fever riddled body. He also didn’t want to her to ask questions he wasn’t ready to answer._

_(Y|N) finally left the room for a few moments so he could get fully undressed and into the shower._ _He knew he would have been fine if he just stayed out on the porch. He was used to taking care of himself. For as long as he could remember, it was just him and Merle, and Merle was no parent, he was barely a brother. He found himself doing things for (Y|N) that he wouldn’t normally do. Letting her do this much was almost embarrassing, but he was doing it anyway._

* * *

You walked into the bathroom carrying a cup of hot water and honey. Daryl was actually in the shower water, standing with his hand on the wall for support. “Good, the big jerk didn’t crack his skull,” you thought, “he _can_ follow directions.”

The shower walls were glass, but they were opaque on the bottom four feet. You turned to preserve your modest roommate’s dignity and rapped on the glass with the mug.

Handing him the mug of hot honey water, “Drink that, no complaining.”

He did as he was told and you noted that the water was both cloudy from the soap and dirty from him. You were on a mission.

With your back still against the glass wall, “Scrub your body, Daryl, head to toe. Don’t miss an inch or I’ll do it. You’re putting a ring around my shower.”

He grumbled a little (you were sure it was flattering remarks about how wonderful you were) and you smelled more of the menthol baby wash.

“Quit mothering me,” he growled.

“Quit being a baby,” you retorted.

“I ain’t bein’ a baby,” that pissed him off.

“Yes, actually, you are,” you were returning his stare down. “My ki…” you hadn’t wanted to talk about him yet.

“Your kid?” he prompted. “You have a family?”

“Had,” you clarified. “Wash your fucking back,” you pointed at the scrubber.  “I’ll be in my room if you need help.” He was coughing hard again.

You walked out of the bathroom and tried to fight back the flood of memories that were threatening to fall out of your eyes. They were never really far from your thoughts, but there was something about being around Daryl… it was like being around an exposed nerve and you found yourself wanting to spill your guts to him… Like always, you got your shit together and carried on. The man-child in your bathroom needed something clean to wear.

You went into his room to look for clothes. It should have been weird for you to enter his space, but it wasn’t really his space, that was out on the porch, and even in that spot, you couldn’t tell he’d been there. Daryl’s room was just a place that held things. Sometimes he found stuff and brought it back, but there was nothing that was really “Daryl” in there. You rifled through the dresser drawers and found that the previous people had left clothes behind and Daryl hadn’t cleared anything out. There were some flannel pajama pants in the drawer and a mish-mash of t-shirts. Taking the pajama pants and a t-shirt that made you smirk, you went back into your room.

“How you doin’ in there,” you called from the door to the bathroom. When you didn’t hear anything, “Okay, I’m coming in.”

Daryl stood with the towel wrapped around his waist, leaning over on the vanity, like he was waiting for you. You approached him slowly as he caught your movement in the mirror.  Holding the clothes in front of you, you went to him at the vanity and put them on the empty space near his hand.

“Do I pass?” he asked.

You cautiously raised your hand and ran your fingers down the two parallel scars on his lower back. There was nothing you could say about what he’d been through. Nothing you could do that would make what happened to him okay. You just put your arm around his waist in a half hug and kissed his shoulder.

“Get dressed, you need to rest in a proper bed. C’mon,” you told him.

You walked out to leave him to it and he followed you only a few moments later. The menthol and eucalyptus had helped, but a coughing fit hit him again and he held onto the door for support. You quickly hopped off the edge of your bed to help him before he fell over, or passed out, and you couldn’t get him off the floor.

The shirt you’d picked was a little big on him, just like the pants, but not too much. You snickered as you put your arm around him like you did earlier. The shirt was black with white print that said, “I’m just one big F*&#@^$ ray of sunshine, aren’t I?” You led him to the spot you’d vacated earlier to get him in off the porch like he was some banished dog.

“Okay, handsome, get in there,” you tucked him in.

At least your room had a TV and you could watch movies. As a bonus, the previous owners had good taste in movies and you found one that you’d watched so many times, you knew all the words and didn’t need to hear it to know what they were saying. Keeping Daryl awake with the sound wouldn’t be an issue. You checked your medicine cabinet to see if you had anything that would help his fever, but you feared he would just have to ride it out.

“Ibuprofen and Vick’s Baby Rub it is,” you said. You didn’t miss the old world that much, but you did miss modern medicine and being able to go to doctors, real doctors. He was either going to sleep like a log or he was going to be restless and you wanted to be close if he needed you.

Back in the bedroom, you put a glass of water on the side table with the Ibuprofen and Vick’s.

“How are you feeling?” you asked. “Headache? Congested? Fuck it, take the pills, we can deal with you being miserable later.” You picked up the Vick’s and held it where he could see it. “You want me to do this or you got it?”

Daryl downed the pills then laid on his back to lift his shirt and took the container from you. “The Hunt for Red October” credits started playing and you climbed up on top of the covers near Daryl. He gave you a look that asked, “what the hell?” but he kept putting on the Vick’s.

“You sleepin’ here?” he asked.

“It’s my bed. You mind?”

He shook his head slightly and you turned back to watch the movie. He tried to settle in and you got the feeling that something was bothering him.

“We’ve slept closer than this before, Daryl,” you didn’t look away from the movie. You vaguely wondered if Alec Baldwin had made it this far.

[Originally posted by prettymuchdixonalready](https://tmblr.co/ZfCxfg2LOtCkO)

“What you saw,” he began, rolling onto his side, away from you, “it was my ol’ man. Merle used to fight back, that’s how Merle got to be a mean son of a bitch. When he was in juvie or jail or somethin’, the ol’ man would start on me. For whatever Merle was, he protected me when we was kids. He made fun of me for it, but didn’t stop him lookin’ out for me, either.”

Some of the scars were quite deep and still were almost a dark pink color, raised and jagged. You looked at his back now, covered with the sarcastic t-shirt. Having only known Merle a little while, it was hard to believe that the two were even brothers because they seemed so different. You rested your hand on his shoulder, not missing the fact that even though you’d never hurt him, he still flinched under your touch. You rubbed his back as a coughing fit took over.

“I was married… before. We had one kid, Eamon. You’d never guess with a name like that, his father was half-Korean. Alan always said he wanted to support his Irish heritage, too, which is why his middle name was Jung-Hwa,” you felt the smile on your face, thinking about your boys. “Eamon was a good kid, just started playing the cello… They got sick while I was in Atlanta on a business trip. It took them so quick. I managed to get word that my neighbor went to check on them and… and they’d tur… they’d turned.”

Other than his ragged breathing, Daryl had gone quiet. You thought you’d sent him to sleep with your story. You took your hand off his shoulder and watched the movie for a little while longer before you started feeling sleepy again. You’d only gotten to the part where Jonesy was telling the Captain about taking Red October to Red Route One. You loved the movie, but you couldn’t finish it and, reluctantly, decided to turn it off. You made sure that the blankets were pulled up around Daryl, maybe you could force his fever to break overnight. He startled you when he put his hand over yours.

“Sorry ‘bout your family,” he said sleepily.

“Sorry ‘bout yours, too,” you said. You smoothed back his hair and rubbed his side.

Though it was a king-size bed, you stayed close to him. After spending months in close proximity, it had been tough to be in the room with him and not have him close. When your life depended on the person next to you having your back, you just got used to it being that way. When he was on the porch, it was okay, but you didn’t like it, he was too far away. It was good to have him close, even if he was sick. It felt normal again and you drifted off to sleep, comforted by the close proximity of Daryl Dixon.


	4. You're wrong.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reader has a bad day and just wants to go home.

You’d spent the morning on your dental rotation. Not many people wanted to see you, and the ones that did were less than thrilled to have you do work on them. Not that you didn’t know what you were doing, it was just that somethings never change. You weren’t an actual dentist, but you’d been assisting chairside through so many procedures, you knew what to do and could do it reasonably well. Cleanings were getting to be what you did most. The problems had been taken care of, most people were happy to just have their offending tooth pulled.

Your afternoon had been spent in the gardens tending the weeds around the flowers and crops. It seemed like no matter where you were, you were stuck weeding. Nah, you weren’t stuck, you actually kind of liked it… when you were alone. There were a bunch of residents in the rows working the crops. They were all talking to each other and insisted on making small-talk with you. They all wanted to know what it was like outside the walls. They wanted to know what happened to your family. They asked very personal questions that they thought you were obligated to answer. You skirted the truth as much as possible. These were people you’d just met and as far as you were concerned, the people you walked in with through the gate were your family.

As a person who was completely content to be alone for hours and days on end, being subjected to forced small-talk was incredibly exhausting. What kept you going was the promise that you would go home to a clean and silent house and it wouldn’t matter one bit if Daryl was there or not because he was just like you. Daryl didn’t make you talk, and if you did speak, he listened, really listened, and you did the same for him.

Tired and mentally exhausted, you trudged back to your house. Usually, you were like the Energizer bunny and could go all out, all day. Not that day. That day, you just wanted to go home, take a nice hot shower, or get in your spa tub, and have a beer with Daryl and just watch a movie or something, anything where you didn’t have to deal with another person’s bullshit. Daryl was your person with whom you didn’t have to put on a face, you could just be and he didn’t ask questions, didn’t make you be sociable when you didn’t want to.

As you got closer, you were relieved when you saw him sitting on the porch, his familiar angel wings vest showing through the slats on the porch railing. Finally, you could relax…or so you thought. He was busy doing something on the porch. Climbing the stairs, you were horrified by what you saw. There were piles of, god only knew what, on the porch and you almost heaved what little lunch you’d managed to squeeze in that day.

“Goddamnit,” you said.

“Hey,” was all he had to say and kept right on cleaning whatever animal it used to be.

You couldn’t look at it. It was one thing to kill walkers and see their mess, it was quite another to see one whose blood had been fresh only moments or hours before… and it was running down your porch floor boards.

“What the fuck are you doing?” you asked.

He looked up at your tone. “Cleaning dinner, what’s it look like?”

“Jesus Christ, Daryl, this is our home, not some fucking shack out in the woods!” he didn’t get what the problem was. “We have manicured lawns, kids playing in the streets… You know, most of the time, I don’t give a shit about your redneck ways, they’re just who you are, but goddamnit…”

“The hell is the matter with you?” he stood up.

His pants were bloody where he’d wiped his hands.

“It looks like a goddamned crime scene!” you were done, the tears were rising.

“Why do you gotta be such a tightass? It’s just some stupid rabbits,” he countered.

Of course, he didn’t see anything wrong with it. He wasn’t in your prep area and he was outside. It was so silent out there, you could hear the soft plops from the bunny blood dripping under the porch.

“This is supposed to be the place where I can go and everything is normal and clean, like how I left it! I’m supposed to be able to come home and relax and finally just be me with no one needing this or that from me!”

You immediately wished you could take it back.

“I don’t mean you. You’re the only one that doesn’t need me for anything. Could you just please, for the love of god, not clean Thumper and all of the little woodland creatures you kill…” you waved your arm around the porch, “…here? It’s bad enough handling the meat once it’s cleaned. I don’t need to see all of that,” you pointed at the piles of rabbit innards, “too… You’re cleaning it up, not me.” You couldn’t get inside fast enough. Your spa tub was calling for you.

_He looked at his bloody hands and clothes and the remains of five rabbits laid out on the porch floor boards. He’d seen (Y|N) get elbow deep in walker guts, her hands were regularly in people’s mouths, and she did it all easily, but a few skinned and cleaned rabbits set her off? Maybe she was going soft? Whatever it was that had done it, he didn’t want to see her like that again. Collecting the rabbits, he took 4 to the smoke house and put the other one on the grill. He needed to clean up the porch before it was his hide that got skinned._

_He hated to get rid of the pelts, but he didn’t know how to preserve them. Maybe when (Y|N) was not in a mood to kill him, he could ask her to find him a book about it. The woman was nothing if not resourceful. The smoke house was her creation and so was the shed that was nearby. Inside the shed was an old shoe rack and he laid the pelts over them to dry. He needed to remember to tell (Y|N) they were in there…_

_After a while, he had the porch spotless and stinking of ammonia and bleach. Taking the bucket of rabbit insides to the crops compost bin was a bit of a walk but the trip didn’t take up too much time. He’d been gone three days on this last hunting trip and he’d gotten four of the five rabbits that morning and the fifth was a lucky shot on the way home. He’d planned on staying out longer, but it was the damnedest thing, he’d missed (Y|N)’s nagging ass._

_Like usual, after hunting he was done for a while, he took a shower. (Y|N) told him if he wanted to sit on the furniture without a plastic bag attached to him, or eat any of the meals she made, he would do what she said. Being a man that knew what was good for him, he’d agreed._

**_“We both know what it’s like out there. In here, we can have a little bit of normal, enjoy a nice dinner, and a nice dinner means that the people attending don’t have five days of the god-knows-what caked on them…”_ **

_He finished quickly and got dressed. Coming out of the bathroom, he noticed (Y|N)’s door was still closed. She was either still mad or taking a nap, either way, he doubted she wanted to do the usual get together with Rick and Michonne. He knocked softly on her door and said, “Be right back.”_

* * *

You felt bad for losing your cool with Daryl. He wasn’t the cause of your stress, but seeing the bunny bits was the last straw on a long day. You’d apologize when you regained a little bit of your dignity. When you came out of your room, Daryl was on the back patio grilling and you groaned at the thought of having dinner with Rick and Michonne.

You’d put on a t-shirt and shorts and didn’t feel like changing your clothes again. Daryl still got embarrassed at the sight of you in shorts. It was cute, he couldn’t look at you and his face and ears would turn pink. He saw you coming out of the house onto the patio. He looked and turned back to the grill slowly, you noticed the tips of his very pink ears peeking out of his clean hair. You smiled, he was going to stay a while. Shyly, you approached him at the grill.

“Daryl?”

He didn’t look, he just poked at the rabbit on the grill, “Hmm?”

“I’m sorry I freaked out,” you felt so ashamed of how you acted.

“Wanna tell me what set you off?” he asked, peeking at you through the hair that fell across his eyes. He turned down the heat and closed the lid on the grill.

Sitting on the patio chairs, you told him about your day and how all you’d wanted was to go home and hang out with him where you could just relax or read a book if he wasn’t back yet. He nodded and quietly listened to your pathetic rambling. When you were done, he stood up and moved in front of you, his hands open for yours. You just stared.

“C’mon,” he flicked his hands in an ‘up’ motion.

You took his hands and he pulled you up, wrapping your arms around him. He held you tightly to him, your face turned into his neck. His crushing embrace was just what you needed. The tension you’d been feeling was starting to ease a little.

“I’m sorry, darlin’,” his voice was low, “I won’t do it again. Shoulda known better from the last ass-chewin’ ya gave me.”

You let out a little chuckle at the memory, he’d steered clear of you for a week after that incident. It was funny how things changed. Back then, the thought of Daryl Dixon holding you in you in such an intimate manner would have been completely ludicrous. He was warm, confident and very comforting, things you were only just beginning to realize he was capable of.

He let go of you so he could check on your dinner and when he opened the lid of the grill, you noticed there was only one rabbit on the grill and not the usual two that would get cooked for company.

“Aren’t Michonne and Rick coming over?” you asked him.

A drop of grease fell on the coals, sending up flames. He didn’t flinch, he just moved the rabbit around to make sure the opposite side cooked, too.

“Nah, went over and told ‘em not to come,” he sounded causal.

That man was always surprising you.

“Why would you do that?” you asked.

He shrugged, closing the lid of the grill again.

“You had a bad day, thought you could use the quiet,” he surmised. When you didn’t correct him, he continued. “You only get pissed at me like that when you’ve had a rough day and you don’t wanna be around people. May be a redneck, but it don’t mean I don’t notice.”

“Oh god, it happens that much you notice?” you felt the shame returning. He just smirked at you. “Shit, I’m a jerk. I’m sorry.” You thought on what he’d said. “Redneck or not, you’re the only one I can tolerate being around after a day like today.”

“Don’t know why I put up with you, though,” he teased.

You smiled and shrugged. The sarcastic side of you couldn’t resist the perfect open.

“I’m a decent cook, I keep to myself, and I think you secretly love me taking care of you,” you teased.

Daryl was a decent griller, too, way better than when he roasted something over an open fire. You’d grabbed some bread Carol had given you and warmed a can of corn. Eating on the patio was nice. There was a little breeze and you could just start to hear the crickets. The nights were still a little too cool to stay on the patio and once you were both done, you cleaned up the dishes and Daryl put the grill away. When he’d finished, he went inside and dried the dishes while you washed.

* * *

_Alexandria was tough to get used to. It was so untouched. He, (Y|N) and the rest of their group had been roaming around so long, they’d almost forgotten what it was like to have things like running water and electricity on demand. Daryl would go on runs to get away from the overwhelming feeling of being around that many people again._

_What he hadn’t expected when he went hunting was how much he’d missed (Y|N). She hated him “killing Bambi,” but she understood the need and never asked him not to. She was good backup, too. She’d saved his ass a couple of times. Hellofa shot and she wasn’t scared to get dirty._

_Before he went hunting, he’d told her he was going to go out for five days. Like usual, she’d understood though he thought he noticed a look of disappointment on her face. He didn’t know if he told her she was needed more in Alexandria for her sake or for his. The morning he left, she stopped him and pulled him in for a hug, telling him to be careful before abruptly walking away. He’d watched her go until he couldn’t see her anymore, the whole time, wondering what had gotten into her._

_He’d thought about her a lot that last run. He’d set up a ton of snares and checked them twice a day. During the day he’d hunt for larger game, but he couldn’t focus, his mind kept drifting to (Y|N)._

_Before, when he would be gone, he’d think about her, but not like how he was on that last hunt. At night was when he missed her most. Sunset was their time to meet up after their day and unwind together. She’d talk, he’d listen. Maybe next time, he’d ask her to go with him._

_As he would drift off to sleep, his mind would go back to the time after the prison and before Alexandria. She was the only person he would let get so close. Hell, she was the only one he wanted that close. Secretly, he loved the mornings when he would wake up with her curled up into him._

_Seeing her wear shorts, her legs bare, brought all kinds of thoughts to his head, all of which he would never tell her. He sat on the couch as she turned off all of the lights and he lit the candles that were nearby. She insisted on not wasting electricity._

**_“We might need something that runs on electricity to save your ass one day and I don’t want to be the reason it didn’t work,” she’d said._ **

_“ **Why’s it my ass gettin’ saved?” he asked.**_

_**“When you stop giving yourself a black eye with your own damned crossbow, we’ll talk about someone else’s ass needing to be saved,” she’d said.** _

_He watched her walk around getting everything ready for a movie, her one indulgence. He’d figured she had nice legs under all that gear she wore and it surprised him the first time she wore shorts. Not only was he right, she had tattoos on her feet and leg. It was hard not to stare, and she always caught him…_

_“What do you want to watch?” she asked over her shoulder as she leaned down to look at the movie titles._

_“You pick, just not “Red October” again,” he told her._

_“Aw, that’s my favorite though… hmm, okay, fine…” she browsed a little more, finally settling on a movie. A few moments passed as she put the DVD in and got settled next to him. He was on one end, and there was plenty of room on the other end, but she sat next to him. He put his arm on the back of the couch and leaned into the corner, knowing, eventually she would probably fall asleep on him._

_She was always doing stuff like that. He’d gotten used to her ways and he never wanted her to stop. It wasn’t more than a hand on his or his arm, at first. Then, on the road, they’d developed a familiarity, an intense closeness, where the awkwardness just went away. He’d gotten to where he liked it. She was almost leaning on him already…_

* * *

You settled in next to Daryl and waited for the movie to start. Your body hurt all over and you were dead tired, but you were also too wound up to go to sleep yet. When Daryl was away, you worked your ass off just so you could go to sleep without him nearby. Since he’d finished his hunting trip early, you hadn’t expected him to be home so early when you had finished your day in the field. Not only had you done hard work, you’d had to deal with bitching people in the morning, and gossip-mongers in the afternoon, both of which you had a difficult time dealing. You didn’t want to talk, you just wanted to be with Daryl.

Of course, the King of Silence was feeling chatty.

“You’re wrong, though,” he said.

Great. “What am I wrong about, Oscar?” you couldn’t wait to hear this one.

“What you said earlier, you think I don’t need you,” he said quietly. “You’re wrong.”

Speechless. He’d finally rendered you speechless. You didn’t know what to do. He’d rarely said anything even remotely intimate. You were desperately trying to focus your mind on……anything else.

“H-how? How do YOU need ME? You’re the strongest guy I know,” you were baffled. You rubbed your hands, both for something to do and to help ease the ache from working in the crops.

He scoffed at your statement and took a few moments.

He shrugged, “Strength’s got nuthin’ to do with it. I dunno, guess I need someone tellin’ me not to clean rabbits on the porch,” he said. “Someone tellin’ me I can’t sit on the couch with dirty clothes. I need someone lookin’ after me.” 

“A nag,” you concluded.

He turned a little so he could take your hands and rub them while you talked. His thumb pressed into each joint as he massaged your sore hands.

“Nah,” he paused, “I get it. I just never had anyone care enough to want me to do the right thing.”

It never failed to give your heart a twist when Daryl talked about his childhood. It hurt to know that someone you cared about so deeply had never really had anyone care about him the way he deserved. You watched quietly has his hands moved over yours, easing the pain you always felt there after a long day. The movie was starting and you both got quiet again. You curled up into Daryl, his arm resting at your side. You reached for his other hand and just held it on his lap. Before long, you were feeling more like your normal self and were getting drowsy with Daryl’s warmth and calming presence next to you. The comfort of being home with Daryl was what you needed.


	5. Fireflies: "To unlikely friends."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl and Reader have a drink by the pond.

You sat down on the dock next to Daryl and handed him the beer you’d gotten for him. It was a precious commodity these days, but he could use a little treat. He almost never did anything for himself and you’d taken it upon yourself a long time ago to make sure he got something nice every now and then.

The weather was starting to change with fall coming. You were used to the cold, but Daryl still hadn’t gotten over how bitter cold it could be. Though it was barely fall, he was wearing a long-sleeved flannel shirt and his leather vest and you were sure he was freezing. You put the blanket on the dock next to you and smirked knowing he would never ask for it. You’d just put it around you both when you started to feel the chill.

“Thanks,” his low voice rasped.

“How come you’re not up at the party?” you asked him.

“How come you ain’t?” he retorted.

“I was hot,” you said simply. It was the truth. There were too many people in Rick and Michonne’s house and being in crowded places had never suited you very well. It was probably why you and Daryl got along so well. It had been a long time since either of you had been around so many people at once and on purpose. You’d also noticed he’d left and hadn’t come back. You’d gone out on the back deck and noticed it was him smoking down on the dock. “Spill, why’d you leave?”

“Wanted to be alone,” he said.

You elbowed him, “Asshole. Last time I bring you a beer.”

Grabbing the blanket, you started to get up.

“Hey,” he said, making you stop just as you got your feet under you. “Don’t mean you have to go.”

You sat down again, this time, shoulder to shoulder with the quiet man. You’d known him since the prison, having gone there after the incident with the Governor. It had been tense at first, but you’d worked hard and earned your keep. Rick had paired you off with Daryl after you’d all been in Alexandria a while. It had taken a while for you both to warm up to each other, but you’d grown to like the guy.  
You sighed. Whatever it was that was bothering him would remain stuck inside that thick skull of his, but that was okay. He didn’t like to talk, preferring to listen more than anything.

“I always wanted to live near water,” you told him looking out at the water. “A little pond isn’t what I had in mind, but this is nice, too. The town I grew up in had a river that ran through it. It was cool…until it flooded…”

“You can just sit, you know,” he said, cutting you off.

You took a drink from your glass, “You make me nervous and I babble when I’m nervous.”

He turned to look at you, but you couldn’t make yourself return the look.

“I don’t know,” you said, “you just… do.”

“Don’t be, I’m nobody,” he said.

“You’re somebody to me,” you said and put your drink down to grab the blanket.

Unfolding it, you put one end around your shoulders and flung the other end around his. You were painfully aware of how close your face was to his and you briefly thought about how easy it would be to kiss him, but you pushed away the ridiculous thought. There was no way Daryl Dixon thought like that about you.

You could feel him staring at you and you were sure he thought you were out of your mind. It was okay, though, he was your friend and you didn’t want to mess anything up by kissing him. Sitting there with a blanket around you both was about as taboo Daryl could get. He let you put the blanket around him and didn’t make a fuss, even when you leaned against his shoulder.

It had been hard enough to get him to let you in his life, but you were so glad he did. Everyone had been through so much, him especially. For you, there was no point in holding back. If you hated someone, they knew it. If you liked someone, you said so, and you knew you were in with Daryl when he brought you back sea turtle earrings from one of his runs with Rick. You wore them, always.

You picked up your glass and held it up.

“To unlikely friends,” you said.

He tapped his beer bottle to your glass and you both drank to it.


	6. Fireflies

     You’d been living with Daryl almost since moving to Alexandria. You hadn’t been especially close before, but you had been friendly, at least. When Rick paired you off with him, you thought he was crazy.

     “What the hell, Rick? The guy barely speaks. How the hell am I supposed to live with a mute?” you were exasperated.

     Rick clapped you on the shoulder, “He ain’t that bad (Y|N). You know him better than you think. Just give him a chance. ‘Sides, he’ll probably sleep on the porch anyway.”

     “Is that humor? Are you trying to be funny?” you were not amused.

     “It’ll be fine, you’ll see,” he chuckled and walked away leaving your staring after him.

     For weeks, you’d barely seen him until one night you went out to the front porch with a glass of water. You were just hoping you’d see some fireflies and kill time before going to bed.

     “Hey,” his rough voice said.

     He scared the hell out of you. You dropped your glass and your hand immediately went to your hip, reaching for the gun you didn’t carry inside the walls anymore.

     “Jesus Christ, Daryl! What the fuck is wrong with you!? Shit, you gave me a heart attack!” you scolded.

     “Sorry,” he said quieter.

     He was sitting on the floor at the opposite end of the porch from the swing. You picked up the glass and put it on the table in front of the swing. Instead of sitting there, you went to the other end and sat on the floor by Daryl.

     In the months that you had “lived with” Daryl, you’d gotten to know him much better, despite his consistent sleeping on the porch. Before, you were just friendly acquaintances, and since moving to Alexandria, you’d grown to really care for the quiet man. It was a relief to have him back. You slung your arm through his.

     He’d gotten used to you and your “forward” ways and just allowed you to touch him. He would never admit it to anyone, except maybe you, that he liked it. He liked how you were always trying to domesticate him. He liked how you would talk and talk, it meant he didn’t have to and he liked how your thoughts went all over the place and the sound of your voice. Coming home to you, talking about the things that had happened to either of you would relax him.

     He’d needed to go out on a run and that was why he’d been gone this time. Staying cooped up inside the walls of Alexandria was not easy for him. He stayed as long as he could stand it for you. You worried about him when he was gone and he knew it. It was getting easier to stay longer and come back from runs quicker. Him missing you, too, was not something he could have ever imagined.

     “Look,” you nudged him, “there they are.”

     He looked to see what you were smiling at. Lightning bugs. There were tons of them all over the place.

     “Look at them go. They’re all gonna get busy tonight, lucky little bastards,” you chuckled.

     Daryl wasn’t looking at the lightning bugs though, he was looking at you. It never failed to amaze him how you found joy in such little things. In this world, that was something. It was one of the things he loved about you.

     “I’m gonna stay for a while,” he said quietly.

     “Good,” you were still watching the fireflies do their dance. You leaned into Daryl and rested your head on his shoulder. “Maybe you can take a goddamned shower.” You held onto him with both hands not caring in the least that he was filthy dirty and smelled like hell… you were just glad he was home.

     “Stop,” he said and you quietly chuckled watching the fireflies.

     You sat there for a while with him watching the little insects light up.

     When he was home, it was always the same for the two of you. On the porch for the sunset, you’d talk, he’d listen. Sometimes Daryl would spice it up with an occasional question or agree with you on some point or other. He’d become your person. The person you told everything. Your best friend.

     Rick had been right. Everything was fine. You liked having Daryl around. He was easy to be around, when he was there. He cleaned animals on the back porch now, instead of the front. You lost your shit one time and he never did it again. He wouldn’t shower so that the animals wouldn’t smell soap on him and get spooked when he was hunting and you understood that, you just liked to tease him about it. He slept on the porch not only because he liked it, but because it would be easier to head off any trouble before it got to you. When the weather was bad, he’d make a place to sleep on your bedroom floor. It was weird at first, but you got to liking that he was close, you only wished it were closer, like in your bed, on top of you.

     Somehow, somewhere along the way, your friendship had turned into a slow burn. You’d fallen in love with Daryl. Telling him was terrifying. You weren’t sure you could stand it if you told him and he didn’t feel the same way and waiting for him to make a move would leave you an unsatisfied old woman.

     _The lightning bugs had gone long ago. She was getting uncomfortable sitting on the porch floor with him. He never thought that there would be someone who could settler their way into his heart. When Rick had paired her with him, it scared him. He didn’t want to have to protect someone again. He couldn’t take it, losing someone he cared about, again. (Y|N) was different though. She didn’t need to be protected. She didn’t need him for anything, but he needed her and that scared the hell out of him._

_“My ass fell asleep ten minutes ago, I’m going to go to bed,” she said and kissed his cheek, dirt, sweat and everything else be damned. She patted his knee, got up and grabbed the glass she’d dropped. He waited for her to say it. She always said it..._

_“You coming?” she turned before she took the screen door handle._

_He loved that she tried so hard…he also hated it. He wanted to tell her how he felt about her so many times, but he just couldn’t. His love for her scared the hell out of him and he didn’t know what to do with the feelings she stirred in him. Before the apocalypse, everything was so much easier when all he thought about was himself and Merle, and dealing with whatever shit-storm Merle would get him into. She’d made him want to be a better man._

_“No, I’ll stay here,” he said._

_She was going to go inside, but she stopped to say, “I missed you, Daryl. I’m glad you’re home.”_

_And in the blink of an eye, she was inside and he was alone on the porch. He cussed himself as he pulled out his cigarettes. He lit up and let the smoke slowly roll out of his mouth. He listened to her settle in for the night. Her room was just behind where he slept each night. He stayed leaning against the porch wall, his smoke hanging around him, struggling with what to do until he finally made a decision._

     Daryl was a sweet guy for sure, but you still needed to go to your bathroom to wash your face after leaning on him. This time, he hadn’t actually made your clothes dirty so you didn’t bother with changing out of them.

     Your bed was screaming for you. When Daryl was gone, you worked even harder so you could go right to sleep without spending hours worrying over him. You left your bathroom door open a few inches so the light from the nightlight inside would show you the way in the night. You pulled the covers back on the bed and eased your achy body inside, scooting toward the center, not bothering to cover up.

     You weren’t sure how much time had passed, or if you were dreaming. There was movement in your room but you weren’t scared, it was Daryl checking on you. You couldn’t tell if he was throwing down his bed roll or what it was he was doing. For a while, the light from your bathroom was gone. You lost track of time when it suddenly came back on.

     “Daryl?”

     “Huh?”

     “Get over here.” He didn’t move. “You heard me. C’mon.”

     It took a few moments, but he finally sat down on the bed and swung his feet in. Dear God, is this real? His movements were tentative but he finally settled in behind you. You rolled over and moved his arm out of the way so you could tuck into his side. When you laid your head on his chest, you could hear his heart hammering just like yours. He was real and you weren’t dreaming.

     You lifted up onto your elbow and looked down at him. It was then you realized his hair was wet and he smelled like the soap in your shower. He’d showered for you.

     Maybe it was the darkness that made it easier to talk. “Daryl, I gotta tell you something.” You felt him nod more than you could see him. The light from the bathroom didn’t quite light on his face. “I… I fell… I fell in love with you and if you don’t feel the same way, I need you to get out of this bed.”

     You fully expected him to run out of your room. Instead, you felt arms tighten around you, his hand cautiously touch you. Leaning down, your lips found his in the dark. Your hand ran up his bare chest and behind his neck deepening the kiss. The feel of his body pressed against yours, his big hands caressing your body. He rolled you onto your back not breaking contact. Your arms went around his broad back encouraging him. The man surprised you with passion you didn’t know he had. He took his time worshiping your body. His hands touched every bit of you that needed attention like he could read your mind. It only took a few moments for you to both be fully naked.

     Daryl laid to your side, his mouth finding your nipple. His tongue flicked the hard nub sending a shockwave to your core. His hand pinched your other nipple before sliding down your body and between your legs. His fingers found your wetness as he slipped them between your folds getting them slick before entering your body, his thumb grazing your clit. He found just the right movements to bring you close to orgasm. Sensing how close you were, Daryl kissed and sucked and nipped his way down your body until he was positioned over your clit. You could feel his hot breath on your clit as his hand still worked its magic.

     “Please, Daryl, I need to cum,” you were desperate.

     Finally, his tongue was on you taking a long, deep lick before latching onto your clit. He sucked and flicked his tongue over your hard nub while his fingers found your g-spot and pressed in rhythm with his mouth. You could feel the pressure start to build. Your hand held the back of his head letting him know to keep going. Your hips were working in motion with him and he had to wrap your leg around his shoulder to keep you in place. He moaned loudly against you and that was all you needed to cum on his fingers and mouth.

     “Oh God, Daryl!” you gasped. Your hands were on his head and you pulled him up so he laid between your legs. You needed a few moments to catch your breath, but you felt like if you didn’t hold him close, he would fade away like smoke on a breeze. His head laid in the crook of your neck, your ankles locked behind his back, your hands running up and down his bare back.

     It was like he couldn’t stop himself. He needed more. Your breathing had calmed down, but he hadn’t stopped kissing your neck.  You turned your head so you could have his mouth again. It only took a few moments for the heat to start building in your body. His hands were tentative on your body, but you arched your body into his touch to encourage him. He moved so he could move over your body. You gently caressed the back of his head to let him know you liked what he was doing.

     The tip of his erection pressed hotly at your entrance, you shifted your hips up and down trying to get him to enter you. When he still didn’t press into you, you looked up at him and pushed the hair out of his face. You could just see barely see the light hit his eyes.

     “You sure you want me?” he asked softly.

     “Daryl, I love you. Of course, I want you,” you answered.

     His lips came down to yours, your hand went to the back of his head. You put your heels on the back of his legs and pulled him to you. He slowly pressed into your body while kissing you deeply. When he was fully inside you moaned as your mouth broke away from his. His face went into your neck trying to hold himself back from taking what he needed from you in a rush. You moved your hips letting him know you needed him as much as he needed you.

     After a few starts and stops, you both found the rhythm that you needed. You could feel the pressure building in your core again and moved your body so you could get the friction you needed on your clit. He flipped onto his back and held your hips in place over him and thrust into you, hitting your g-spot with every thrust. You ran your hands over your breasts, then cupping them to pinch your nipples. His hand moved to just barely rub your clit, sending you over the edge. You screamed as you doubled over with your orgasm, holding yourself up over him as he followed right behind you. He kept moving inside you riding out your bliss. He pulled you down on top of him after he slid out of your body.

     Falling to his side, you kept your leg draped over him as you tucked into his side, unwilling to let him go just yet. You put your hand on his cheek and turned his face to yours so you could kiss him some more.

     “I’m sorry if I hurt you,” he said, his hand holding onto your arm.

     It took you a moment to understand, and you couldn’t help letting out a little chuckle. You kissed his cheek, your hand still on the other side. “Sweetheart, you didn’t hurt me. I just really liked it.” You got up and crawled over him to go get cleaned up. When you’re done, you come back with a warm wash cloth for Daryl. He twitches in your hand as you clean him off. You know he’s uncomfortable but responds to your touch, as well. He’s not used to such an intimate touch. You were more than willing to get him over that. You could feel his eyes on you as you walked back to the bathroom.

     When you came back, you went to the other side of the bed and flung back the covers.

     “Come over here,” you whispered. The sheets were still cool and dry on that side and the fan was over there. He settled and you climbed in next to him. Never a man of many words, he didn’t say anything as you put your leg over his and laid your head on his chest, your hand on his shoulder. He just wrapped his arms around you and held you close.

     You were almost asleep, but you knew you weren’t dreaming because you felt his chest vibrate.

     “I love you, too.”

* * *

     (Y|N) and Daryl hadn’t come over for breakfast like they usually did after a run. Neither she nor Daryl were lazy people and it wasn’t like them to not be seen up and about by 9am, nor was it like them to miss a planned meal. Michonne finally convinced Rick they should go check on them. Daryl’s bedroll wasn’t on the porch and the front door wasn’t locked. It wouldn’t have been a concern on a normal day, but Michonne got the feeling this wasn’t a normal day.

     Rick led the way inside as they went through the house looking for their friends. Finally, there was only one room left to check. Rick opened the door quietly and stopped in his tracks. Michonne poked her head in after him. Daryl and (Y|N) were sleeping in bed _together_ and appeared to be naked and spooning. They backed out quietly and closed the door.

     When they were back in the living room, Rick spoke first.

     “That took longer than I thought it would.”

     Michonne stopped to look at him, “Did you plan that?”

     “Well, when I put them together, I thought it was for the best. They are such a good fit. They both need each other. I hoped it would happen on it’s own at the prison, or the way here, but they needed a little push,” he said to his girl.

     She smiled at him. “They’re good together.”

     “I’m just glad she gave him a chance.”


End file.
